The next Detroit mayoral election isn’t until 2025, but already we have some thoughts about how things should go.
Let’s start with this: The next mayor of Detroit should be a Gen X Black woman and a Detroiter. She should also be committed to all forms of justice, understand what it means to be a public servant, and provide an equitable development framework ensuring that as Detroit grows it serves all its residents.
Why, specifically, a Gen X Black woman from Detroit? Let’s break this down.
Age: Gen X has moved to the C Suite. The average age of incoming CEOs is now around fifty-four. It is Gen X’s time. After decades of Boomer leadership, most of these leaders are now aged 60-plus and seriously considering retirement. Gen X is also primed for leadership as the no-nonsense, independent, used-to-little-attention generation. Gen Xers are the original latchkey kids. We understand the concerns of our Boomer parents as well as the frustrations and impatience of our Millennial and Gen Z children. We are the glue, the connector, the “magic middle,” the generation with the most multigenerational experience both at home and in the workplace.
Race: Detroit is a majority Black city. There seems to be a fear in explicitly stating what is a fact, and Black representation matters. According to Detroit Future City, Black Detroiters are doing worse than all other Detroiters economically. Detroit does not just need a Black mayor, it needs a Black mayor unafraid of acknowledging Blackness, racism, and its impact on Detroit’s challenges. It is undeniable that Detroit still suffers from decades of systemic racism, but we are also lacking compassionate leadership that is in tune with the generational needs of Black Detroit families.
Gender: Women get things done. And typically, without ego or expectation of acknowledgment or praise. Women hold families together, clean-up work messes, and take care of our children and our elders, often in the same household. Women also tend to work more collaboratively, and it will take deep and sincere partnerships to successfully move the city into the future. The next mayor will need to be responsive to all Detroiters: Young people; couples; single- and two-parent families with children of all ages, and those aging in place. Because women are often sandwiched between generations and are skilled at meeting everyone’s needs, a woman is going to make sure that the city is livable for everyone. These deep family commitments are sometimes the reason women cannot take on expansive leadership roles. A Gen X Black woman mayor will understand this deeply and ensure there is support in the form of collaboration and partnerships; she will not try to go it alone.
Detroiter: Detroit has talent. We do not need to import it from other places. Our suburban neighbors need to be engaged, however, as Detroit’s leadership is essential for the entire region to thrive. We need everyone to understand the issues and support a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to serving the city. It can no longer be about name recognition, but a record of getting things done. This is a critical time for the city when we are moving from bankruptcy to a retirement cliff for many aging Detroiters. We need a real plan for equitable development, not an invitation to speculators to swoop in and “save” the city. Detroit needs a mayor truly invested in the city, with a reach to the region.
Call for Candidates: The mayor represents the voters and Black women vote; more than two-thirds of Black women turned out to vote in the 2020 presidential election, the third highest rate of any race-gender group. Black women work behind the scenes and are always asked to help- if our talents and abilities are good enough to support, we certainly have what it takes to lead. Detroit needs candidates who believe in and fit the profile, and residents need to support them, finance them, promote them, and proactively build the pipeline of the next generation of leaders. Finally, if we do not have a Gen X Black woman from Detroit as the next mayor, how will we collectively hold that person accountable for bringing the sensibilities we have outlined here to the mayor’s office with them?
Sarida Scott is a native Detroiter, still living and working in the city. Meredith Freeman lives in the suburbs and supports and serves the people of Detroit. Both Scott and Freeman are Gen X Black women.
All you need to do is look at your Detroit City Council to debunk this Article. The Debates for Mayor will be interesting none the less and the focus should be on a plan to make Tax Payers and Retirees WHOLE.
Strong points with excellent reasoning. Someone needs to take these ideas seriously.
I don’t matter what gender run for mayor, The City of Detroit needs to some like the late Mayor Young, That was all for Detroit, MI resident, and city of Detroit employees plus his strong believe on DWSD, and keeping all services to be handle in house and not outsourcing services that would cost the city of detroit more money. Plus we need City Council members like 1970s to 1990s and make them whole now and get rid of city council going be districts. Mayor Young was all for City Detroit Department having city employees and being under a union.